Prepare a Talent Show Running Order and Cue Sheet

A community talent show needs two linked documents. The running order lists every act and transition in sequence, with times, people and props. The cue sheet lists every sound and lighting action, the exact moment it happens and who triggers it. Build the running order first, rehearse with it, then confirm each cue with the crew members who will operate it. Issue one dated master version of each document to performers and crew. The templates below are written to copy into a spreadsheet or document. If you want a PDF, export it once the version is final.

Running order vs. cue sheet: what each one does

• Running order (also called a run sheet): answers what happens next, when it starts, who is on stage and what has to move. The host, stage manager, backstage volunteers and performers use it.
• Cue sheet: answers which technical change happens and on what trigger. The person calling the show and the sound and lighting operators use it.
• Keep them separate but cross-referenced. Every cue names the act it belongs to, so a change to the running order shows you which cues need checking.

Running order template

Use one row per act and one row per transition. Treating transitions as their own rows makes changeover time visible and stops the schedule from silently running long.

Column	What to enter
Seq #	Position in the show (1, 2, 3...). Includes host segments, transitions and intermission.
Act ID / title	A short fixed ID plus the act name, for example A02 Duet: Jordan & Sam.
Performer / contact	Lead performer name and a backstage contact method.
Planned start	Clock time this row begins.
Duration	Minutes allowed for the act or transition.
Introduction	What the host says or reads, or a note pointing to the host script.
Entrance / exit	Which side or route performers enter and leave by.
Transition allowance	Changeover time before the next row starts.
Props in / out	Items that arrive with this act and items that must be cleared after it.
Responsible person	The volunteer who handles props, mics or staging for this row.
Ready?	Confirmation that the act or crew is in place before the row starts.

How to calculate start times

Each row's start time equals the previous row's start time plus that row's duration. Equivalently, the next act starts at the previous act's start plus its duration plus the transition allowance. In a spreadsheet, put the first start time in the top row and let every row below add the duration above it. Then a revised duration updates the rest of the show automatically.

Use durations from performers as a first draft, then replace them with times measured at rehearsal. Mark each revised duration, for example with a note or a different cell color, so everyone can see which figures are confirmed.

Cue sheet template

Column	What to enter
Cue ID	A unique cue number with a type prefix, for example S01 for sound or L01 for lighting. Do not reuse act numbers.
Related act	The Act ID from the running order.
Standby point	When the caller warns the operator to get ready.
Trigger	The exact agreed moment: a spoken line, a performer's movement or the host's last word.
Action	The requested sound or lighting change in plain words.
Asset / state reference	The approved track file, playlist position or lighting preset the operator will use.
Caller	Who says go.
Operator	Who executes the cue.
Rehearsal confirmed	Whether the cue was run successfully at rehearsal, with date or initials.

Keep cue IDs separate from act numbers so a reordered show doesn't scramble the cue list. If Act 2 moves to fifth position, its cues keep their IDs and simply follow the act. Write each trigger as something everyone can recognize. A specific line or action is easier to call than a vague description like 'when the song ends'.

Illustrative example

This is a hypothetical opening for a small show, not a recommended schedule. It shows how the two documents fit together.

RUNNING ORDER (excerpt)
Seq  Item                   Start  End    Notes
1    Host introduction      19:00  19:02  Host script p.1
2    Act 1                  19:02  19:06  Enter stage left
3    Transition             19:06  19:08  Clear Act 1 props; set mic stand
4    Act 2                  19:08  19:13  Uses playback track

CUE SHEET (excerpt)
Cue  Act    Standby                Trigger                       Action / asset                  Caller  Operator
S02  Act 2  During host intro      Agreed spoken line from host  Play Act 2 approved track file  SM      Sound op

In the example, cue S02 points to the playback file the crew has already approved for Act 2, and it records both who calls the cue and who operates it. If Act 2 runs long at rehearsal, update its duration in the running order and every later start time shifts with it.

Choosing the order of acts

Act sequence is the organizer's choice. Practical factors usually decide it more than talent ranking does:

• Separate acts with heavy prop or set changes, or put a host segment between them to cover the changeover.
• Give performers who appear in more than one act enough rows in between to change and reset.
• Place acts that share equipment, such as the same mic setup or keyboard, next to each other to cut transition time.
• Put acts with uncertain readiness in the middle rather than first, so the show opens on something dependable.
• If there is an intermission, list it as its own row with a duration and a clear restart time.

Workflow from sign-up to show night

• 1. Collect act details: title, performers, contact, estimated duration, props, entrance needs, and any sound or lighting requests with the files or descriptions involved.
• 2. Draft the running order with estimated durations and a transition row after each act.
• 3. Draft the cue sheet from the technical requests, assigning cue IDs and linking each one to an Act ID.
• 4. Review the cue sheet with the sound and lighting crew. They confirm the wording, the technical requirements and which asset or preset each cue uses before anything goes into the performance version.
• 5. Rehearse in running order. Time each act and transition, run each cue on its agreed trigger and mark it confirmed.
• 6. Update durations and cue details from rehearsal, and add a revision note covering what changed and why.
• 7. Save one dated master of each document, for example 'Running order v3, dated', and send the approved revision to performers and crew. Ask people to discard earlier versions.
• 8. On show night, the stage manager or caller works from the master. Backstage volunteers use the 'Ready?' column to confirm each act before it starts.

Who gets which version

• Stage manager or caller: full running order and full cue sheet.
• Sound and lighting operators: full cue sheet plus a running order showing act IDs and start times.
• Host: running order with the introduction column and timing.
• Backstage volunteers: running order with entrance/exit, props and responsible-person columns.
• Performers: their own position, call time, entrance route and the act before them.

Version labels on every page or tab carry more weight than the layout itself. Show-night mistakes usually come from someone working off an outdated copy, so make the current revision date easy to spot and easy to check.